“You have to remember, you’re representing people.”
— Mercedes Krause, candidate for CD2, on Aug. 22, 2022.
On Jan. 3, 1983, Nevada’s second Congressional district (CD2) was officially created.
The first person elected to represent the district was Republican Barbara Vucanovich. The next three representatives were all Republicans — Jim Gibbons, Dean Heller, and the current incumbent, Mark Amodei, first elected in 2011.
CD2 covers much of Northern Nevada, which is considered mostly rural. It also includes 18 of Nevada’s 27 tribal communities. More than two-thirds of the people live in Washoe County and Carson City, making CD2’s population more urban than rural, but rural counties’ interests are extremely important. As a Churchill County resident, I am very aware of this.
Over the years, there have been several excellent Democratic candidates for CD2 who did well in the elections but weren’t able to gain a majority of the vote. This year, Democrats have another candidate who is highly qualified and experienced and would be an outstanding representative for CD2. Her name is Mercedes Krause.
Mercedes is a Nevada native who earned her B.A. degree in elementary education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has a master’s degree in administrative leadership and is working on her Ed.D. in educational leadership and policy at UNLV.
Mercedes is a member of the Oglala Lakota nation. Much of her work is concerned with protecting the rights and sovereignty of Native Americans, including improving their educational and economic opportunities. She has experience lobbying for these issues in Washington, D.C.
She is also passionate about the future of Nevada and providing opportunity and dignity for everyone. She’s a commissioner on the Nevada Minority Affairs Commission and is on the board of the Nevada Department of Education, as well as being involved in several other civic and educational groups.
Mercedes has very specific plans for accomplishing the goals she would like to hit as a member of Congress. Unlike our current representative, she believes in being present and doing the work. On several crucial issues, her positions are clearly in line with what Nevadans have shown they want, contrary to positions taken by Amodei.
For example, Mercedes supports allowing people to be able to buy birth control. On July 28, Amodei voted against the Right to Contraception Act, despite overwhelming support for this bill from Nevadans. (Reno Gazette Journal, July 31)
Two days before, Amodei voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex marriage, despite Nevadans voting resoundingly in 2020 to reverse the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Mercedes, along with most Nevadans, supports the right of people to marry whomever they love.
On Feb. 27, 2021, Amodei voted against the American Rescue Plan Act, which gave financial relief to millions of people during the pandemic, saving local businesses and providing rent relief for thousands in Nevada. He would have let those families and businesses fail.
On Nov. 5, 2021, he voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which gave $4 billion to Nevada, including millions to repair highways and bridges in poor condition. The act also includes money to improve water infrastructure to ensure access to safe drinking water, and designates millions for wildfire prevention and wild land restoration. This will provide jobs and improve Nevadans’ quality of life. Amodei was opposed to it all.
On March 3, Amodei voted against the PACT Act, which gives relief to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Besides opposing health care for veterans, Amodei has voted against environmental protections, education funding, labor rights, women’s rights and other issues that affect real people in real time.
These are all issues Mercedes believes are crucial to Nevada, and she will work hard to achieve success for us.
Amodei has shown over and over he isn’t working for everyday Nevadans. In contrast, Mercedes wants all Nevadans to prosper.
“We need to support living wages, wages that afford a safe home, healthful food, healthcare, and the ability for Nevada families to care for their children,” she says. “I am passionate about creating a safe, healthy, dignified life for all Nevadans. … Public policy issues that touch in this relate to the protection of our water supply, closing the opportunity gap for students, access to health care services, affordable housing and supporting Nevadans striving for a dignified life.”
We need to elect someone who has experience working to improve all our lives. We don’t need someone who ignores our needs for his own ambitions. Mercedes Krause will represent all of us. She absolutely deserves our votes.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.
